XANA Returns
by MeliKun313
Summary: The Lyoko Warriors are upperclassmen now at the academy. XANA has been quiet for awhile, so things have been relatively peaceful. However, when a new professor appears on the scene, things start to go awry...
1. Prologue

Prologue

The tall, lanky man awoke. He gazed around in curiosity at his surroundings. There wasn't much to see, however, since most of it was covered in an icy haze. That's when he realized it.

The room he was in was freezing.

He shivered. This room made an ice box feel like paradise.

Wait.

How did he know what an ice box was?

The man pondered this sudden new thought. He had only just came to this world, but yet he knew so much. How could this be?

Never mind that thought. He had to get out of here. Standing up, he felt for something, anything that he could use as a crutch. After what seemed like 100 paces, he found a solid wall. In the wall, he could vaguely see his reflection.

My, this room _was_ a lot like an ice box.

He shook his head. Focusing on his reflection briefly, he could make out shoulder-length brown hair, two hazel eyes, a nose, mouth, and a strong jawline. The rest of him was concealed in the arctic fog. However, feeling around, all he had on him was skin and bones. This was far from the perfect he had imagined.

Wait…when _had_ he imagined his own image? He had just come to life.

In any case, he needed to fix this…and fast. The man started to walk forward again for what seemed like hours. He was starting to feel his feet going numb when he felt a large circular object beside him. Somehow, the man knew this was his way out. He pushed the knob, and two doors instantly started coming apart.

Icicles started raining from the sky, threatening to kill him. He dodged a few, soon getting outside where it was warm. This…this was where he was meant to be.

Did he dare look back? The frosty mist was streaming out of the room in a hazy river. In his peripheral vision he saw the silhouette of something that was familiar in his incomplete memory.

Upon seeing the giant contraption with its glowing like, the man knew that he must push forward. He may not have memories now, but he soon would.

Walking away from that subzero room, the man felt a new gaze in his eye. He had a new sense of purpose.

He would find…that boy.


	2. Chapter 1

XANA Returns

Chapter One

Aelita awoke sobbing, uncontrollable tears streaming down her face. She didn't know where she was, much less _when_ she was. Something terribly sad had happened, but what was it? Somehow, she didn't want to find out.

However, Aelita knew that, in order to gauge her surroundings, she had to calm down. Slowly but surely, she steadied her breathing and slowed the tears down. As she did so, she detected a presence beside her. The presence was a weak one, but Aelita needed anyone who could help.

The pink-haired girl gradually opened her eyes and quickly noticed that she was in a stark white room filled with a frigid haze. She could feel her hot tears cooling off and her breath coming out in puffs of white air. She glanced to her right, which was nothing but icy mist. Straight in front of her was a white wall.

No help there.

When Aelita glanced to her left, though, she nearly cried out in shock. Turning to face the slumped figure, she knew right away that it was Jeremy. He was slumped against one of the stark white walls with nothing but a cotton hospital gown on. His blond hair was tousled, not in its usual neatness, and his glasses were on his lap. Aelita shakily scooted beside Jeremy, took his wrist, and felt for a pulse. After a few seconds, she noted that his pulse was unbelievably slow. She had to do something, and fast.

"Jeremy, Jeremy!" Aelita nearly shouted. "Wake up, please!"

No answer.

"Jeremy, please, you have to _wake up_!" Aelita shook her boyfriend's limp body.

Again, no answer.

Aelita's lower lip began to tremble. She wrapped her arms around Jeremy, desperate to keep him warm. The uncontrollable tears threatened to spill from her eyes once more. Aelita held her boyfriend tighter and, just when the tears started trickling down, she felt a hand on her head.

"Aelita…you're…squishing me…," Jeremy whispered faintly.

Aelita sat up and noticed that Jeremy's eyes were open, though his face was quite pale. He gave her a weak smile, and she returned it.

"Jeremy, I-," Aelita began.

"Ae-Aelita…I need you…to do something for me," the blond murmured, barely audible.

"Yes, Jeremy, anything! We _need_ to get out of here!" Aelita responded, holding his hand.

"I need you to…" Jeremy trailed off, pointing behind her.

Aelita glanced back and noticed the figure of a man coming towards them. The pink-haired girl grew nervous. What if it was…?

Wait. Jeremy had said something as she was gazing behind her.

"I'm sorry, Jeremy, what was-?" Aelita began, turning her head.

Suddenly, she noticed that Jeremy was no longer there. Her hand was neatly in her lap. She quickly looked around her, but the haze had become ever thicker. Footsteps had started to come near her.

"Jeremy, where are you? Where'd you go?!" Aelita started sobbing once more. "I…I don't know what's going on! What made me cry?! I-I know it w-wasn't you…please, come back!"

Amidst her tears, Aelita heard a faint voice.

"Wake up."

"No, I won't!"

"Wake up."

"Please, leave me alone!"

"Aelita, wake up!"

"No, I-!"

"I can't!" Aelita's eyes flew open and she sat up briskly. Looking around, she noticed that her head had been on Jeremy's lap and she was amongst her other friends. Yumi and Ulrich were sitting against the tree across from her, and William and Odd were laying on the ground adjacent from them. Yumi crawled over to Aelita and grasped her hand.

"Aelita, are you okay?" the raven-haired girl asked, concerned. "You looked like you were having a horrible dream."

"I…uh…," Aelita mumbled, wiping the evident tears from her face. "I…don't know."

Aelita turned her head to face Jeremy, who appeared quite worried. He gave her a sad smile, the exact same one from her nightmare. Just the thought of her dream coming true…it was too much too soon.

"D-don't look at me like that…!" Aelita whimpered. She let go of Yumi's hand and held Jeremy tightly.

"Aelita…are you okay?" Jeremy asked, returning his girlfriend's embrace.

The pink-haired girl burrowed her face into the blonde's bluish green turtleneck and shook her head no.

"I think we'd better head back to the dorms." Aelita heard Ulrich say. "This sounds like another one of those visions from a few years ago."

Jeremy nodded and helped Aelita to her feet. He put his hands on her shoulders, and his blue eyes gazed into her green ones.

"Don't worry, whatever this is, we're here to support you." the blond said softly.

Aelita nodded, and the six teens started on their way home.

The brown-haired man stumbled through the thickness of the woods. He had found a blanket to wrap around him as a source of warmth, though he still needed to find real clothing. The sun was starting to move toward the west, so he needed to find shelter and fast. He quickened his footsteps.

As the man was walking briskly along, he noticed a group of schoolkids nearby. He would need any source of help in finding clothing and shelter. He started jogging towards the teenagers, careful to keep the blanket around himself.

However, as the thin man was pushing along through the underbrush, he stepped on a twig and made it snap. The teens turned and looked at him, bewildered. The man staggered to his feet and moved slightly closer to them, causing the kids to take a few steps back.

So **this** is what an awkward situation was.

"Um…excuse me," the man spoke. "Where can I find food and shelter?"

The kids all exchanged glances. A pink-haired girl squinted at him.

_Come on, Xavier, think! What do you know about this world?_

Wait.

When did **that** name pop into his head?

As the auburn-haired man thought for a few seconds, he noticed the kids starting to turn away. He stepped forward with a new plan in mind.

"Please, I just came to this land," he said.

One of the kids, a black-haired boy, turned around.

_Good._

"I need to know where I may find food and shelter. I am homeless and in need of a job. Please, could you help?" the man pleaded.

The shaggy-haired boy turned to his friends. They all conversed in quiet tones. The pink-haired girl did not seem for it, but the others nodded. A blond-haired teen, who seemed quite close to the pink-haired one, took the girl's hand and sauntered off. Raven-hair pulled out a mobile telephone…thing…and talked into it.

A short moment later, a spiky-haired boy approached him.

"Hey, don't worry, man. We're going to help you. Just come with us." the boy said.

The man nodded and walked with the teens.

As the group strolled along, the man grew more and more curious. What was this world like? More importantly, what was _he_ like? What were his talents? What could he do to move forward in this world?

He probably should start with names. Maybe _that_ would jog his memory.

"So, um…children," he spoke up. "What are your names?"

"First of all, man, we aren't children. We're teenagers," the spiky-haired one turned around. "Second of all, my name's Odd."

"I'm Yumi," a raven-haired girl responded.

"Ulrich." a brown-haired boy answered.

"William." Raven-hair said.

"All right…who were the other two with you?" the man inquired aloud.

"Oh, those were Jeremy and Aelita." Odd replied.

_Jeremy and Aelita…those two names sound _**very**_ familiar._ the man mused silently.

A flood of rage suddenly filled him. The rage was that of a person towards his mortal enemies. The man felt the need to punch something…or someone, when suddenly Yumi turned around.

"What about you, sir? What's your name?" she asked.

"Um…"

_Come on, man, think! What _**is**_ your name?_

"Er…"

_Really, you have to falter _now_?_

Then, it came to him.

"Xavier. Xavier Asplane." he responded confidently.

"Hm…that's a cool name," William commented.

"Thank you, son," Xavier replied.

_I thought of it myself!_

The group of five stopped in front of a house with an iron-wrought fence. Xavier glanced around questioningly.

Why were they here?

"Come with me," William said.

Xavier followed the boy up to the doorstep and stopped. William pushed a button, causing a sound to come out. A pleasant sound, actually.

"What did you just push?" Xavier inquired.

"It's a doorbell. You use it to call people to their front door so you can say hello."

The man nodded and straightened his posture as soon as he heard footsteps coming towards the entrance. The door opened and a bearded man answered. He had graying hair and wore a brown suit and tie.

"Is this the man you spoke of, young William?" the gray-haired man asked.

"Yes, Mr. Delmas. He needs a place to stay and a job. He says he just came to this country." William answered respectfully.

"Well, then, my good sir, you've came to the right place. I happen to have great connections around the city that will be happy to help you." Mr. Delmas said cordially. He reached out his hand, and Xavier took it.

The man looked back. William waved good-bye, and ran off with his friends. Then, looking forward, he noticed Mr. Delmas leading him into a nice living room.

"Now, I don't think I caught your name, sir." Mr. Delmas mused aloud.

"Xavier. Xavier Asplane." the man repeated.

"Ah, I see. Well, Mr. Asplane, I happen to have a daughter. If you try _anything_, I'll…"

Xavier nodded, gazing around. He didn't really hear the rest of the statement. Looking around, he felt a new-found confidence rise in his chest. He had a name and, for now, a place to stay. He _would_ find his way in this world. However, one question still nagged at him.

Who _was_ the boy he was after?


	3. Chapter 2

XANA Returns

Chapter Two

"And that's when I woke up." Aelita concluded, gazing around at her friends.

"That certainly is strange." Ulrich commented.

"Yeah, and if it's anything like your visions from a few years ago, we're in trouble." Odd added.

"That's just the thing, though," Aelita said, shifting in her seat. "Those visions were my memories, but the events of this dream have never occurred before. I wonder…"

The six teens sat around Jeremy's dorm room in silence. There was a troubling atmosphere about the room, as though the weight of the world was on their shoulders, just like it had been three years earlier. Despite the fact that the Lyoko Warriors were upperclassmen now, that fact alone did not make fighting their arch nemesis, Xana, any easier.

"Say, what became of that mysterious man we saw earlier?" Jeremy suddenly asked.

"We took him to Delmas' house. If anyone—," Yumi began.

"You what?" Aelita nearly shouted, standing up. "Of all the people in the world, you took _him_ to Mr. Delmas' house?!"

"Whoa, calm down, Aelita," Ulrich responded. "We were just trying to help the poor guy."

"Yeah," William said. "For all we know, he could have been a refugee. What, you know him or something?"

"I don't know," Aelita replied. She sat down. "That man simply had a familiar air to him. As though I knew him previously."

"It's probably just your imagination." Odd mused aloud.

"Let's hope so." the pink-haired girl sat down. She gave a small smile to everyone and leaned against Jeremy's shoulder.

After a short while, the group headed down to the cafeteria for dinner. That night the meal was meatloaf and mashed potatoes, one of Aelita's favorites. The crew went through the usual process and then sat down at their table. Sissi walked by, and William invited her to sit with them. Following some of the typical 'airhead' jokes, the group engaged in cordial conversation.

"So, anything new with you guys?" Sissi inquired.

"Actually, yes," Jeremy replied almost immediately. "There was this strange man in the forest today…"

The blond trailed off as Odd took over the new of the man known as Xavier. He told Sissi about how he and the others (save for Jeremy and Aelita) helped the man receive assistance from Principal Delmas.

"So _that's_ where that weird man came from," Sissi commented when Odd had finished. "I went home during our afternoon break and he was fixing my dad's home computer. It was so…out of the ordinary!"

"Why?" Ulrich asked. "Lots of people fix computers for a living."

"I didn't hear all of it, but Mr. Xavier was mumbling something about looking for a boy. I don't know about you, but that's just…plain weird!"

"Maybe Xavier has a nephew or a son living here. That could be a possibility." Aelita spoke up.

"In any case, I think we should keep an eye on him." Yumi said. "Who knows? It also could be you-know-who."

Everyone nodded except Jeremy.

Xavier finished the orders for fixing the computer that Mr. Delmas had given. He wiped the sweat from his brow and went downstairs just as Delmas himself was walking in. The two greeted each other with a nod, and then both went in their opposite directions. Xavier stepped outside to the wrap-around porch of the house for some fresh air.

"So, you think you can win my father's trust just by fixing his computer?" a girl's voice inquired coldly.

Xavier whirled around to see a teenage girl with raven hair and dark eyes standing before him. She was gazing up at him with utmost distrust.

"You must be…Elizabeth?" Xavier mused aloud.

"It's Sissi to you, Mr. Asplane. I know who you really are, and I'm going to tell my father tonight at dinner!"

"If you know who I am, then who am I?"

Asplane knew he'd gotten Sissi's goat simply by the expression on her face. She stormed back inside the house. All the while, the man stared after her, amused. He then turned around and faced the calm suburban street. Fixing the computer had been relatively easy for him. He didn't even have to glance once at a manual. It simply came naturally to him.

He wondered why.

A short while later, one of the housekeepers called Xavier in for dinner. He rushed in, eager to see what sort of food this world had to offer. He'd only been in this world for a day and a half, but he hadn't had an appetite until now. He washed off his hands and nearly jogged into the dining room where an entire feast awaited him.

"Greetings, Xavier," Mr. Delmas greeted cordially. "Have a seat."

Delmas gestured to the seat across from Sissi which, in this case, was next to the head of the table. Xavier sat down and placed his napkin in his lap and everyone dug in. The room was eerily silent save for the occasional requests to pass this or that. However, there was also a strange atmosphere of excitement. Xavier didn't know what to make of it.

After the main course, Delmas snapped his fingers and out came dessert. Xavier's mouth watered at the smell of it, whatever one called the delicious-looking pastries. The housekeeper set down the platter in the middle of the three persons and stepped out. Before Xavier could ask for a pastry, however, Delmas stopped him.

"So, Mr. Asplane," Mr. Delmas began, straightening his jacket.

"Yes, sir?" Xavier answered, looking at him.

"Your knowledge of computers seems to be quite capable."

"Thank you, sir."

"Mr. Delmas, if you please."

Xavier nodded.

"At this time, Kadic Academy is going to be testing out a new computer science program for our students. With technology advancing so quickly, there has become a need for our students to have an education in such matters. However, we haven't found anyone to pilot our program. Would you be interested in piloting it?"

"Why-!"

"Daddy, you're making a mistake! You've only just met him and-!" Sissi objected almost immediately.

"Quiet down, Elizabeth," Mr. Delmas ordered, gesturing for his daughter to calm down. He then turned back to Xavier and gazed at him expectantly.

"W-why, yes, of course!" Xavier responded. "Like your daughter just said, though, you've only just met me."

_**I've**__only just met me!_

"There will be plenty of time for that in the interview and background checks." Mr. Delmas said. "In the meantime, we can schedule your interview for, say, a week from now and you can feel free to use the campus library to get to know our prestigious academy."

"T-thank you, sir."

The six teenagers had decided to stay at the academy over the long summer break. They thoroughly enjoyed each other's company but, more importantly, they wanted to see if their 'old friend' Xana would be up to no good. The main hangout was Jeremy's room, considering he had one of the most advanced computers on campus. That night, however, it was just Yumi, Ulrich, Aelita, and the blond Einstein himself. Odd and William were on a date to see a movie.

"And I wager that they will see _Semi Truckers' Guide to the Galaxy_. You know how William loves science fiction." Aelita said, placing her bag of potato chips in the middle of the floor.

"No way," Ulrich retorted. "Odd's an animal lover, so they will definitely go for _Miley and Me._" He placed his bag of trail mix in the middle.

"Will you guys cut it out? I'm trying to concentrate on my physics homework. My parents will kill me if I get even an A-minus on the final." Jeremy interjected.

"I suppose we're lucky that Xana hasn't reared his ugly head for a while." Aelita said, stealing back her potato chips. "He's been so quiet that our grades are sky-high, right Yumi?"

"Um…sure." Yumi answered, turning a page in her comic book.

"Yeah, a little too quiet if you ask me." Ulrich added, munching on his trail mix.

Suddenly, a knock came at the door. Yumi peered through the eyehole and saw that it was none other than Sissi.

"Password?" Yumi asked.

"Ulrich x Yumi 365." Sissi sighed.

The raven-haired teen opened the door to let their friend in. She sat down on the bed and kicked her shoes off in Aelita's general direction, making the other girl wince. It had been known for a while that Sissi was an honorary Lyoko Warrior, though she had little to no knowledge of Xana and his antics. Much like Jim Morales, all the returns to the past had wiped Sissi's memory of any suspicions of the group's missions.

"So, what news do you have from the home front?" Jeremy inquired, turning around.

"My father brought in this stray dog of a man from the streets, apparently at the request of _some people_," Sissi began, eyeing Ulrich and Yumi. "He is supposedly going to hire him for this new computer sciences program that's in the works. However, my father barely knows the guy! It's so strange."

"What did this guy look like?" Aelita asked, her interest piqued.

Sissi described the man to them. Ulrich and Yumi nodded, and Aelita held Jeremy's hand tightly.

"What's this guy's name?" Jeremy inquired to Sissi.

"Xavier Asplane. Like I said, my father has only just met him and he's willing to hire the man! There's definitely something suspicious going on." Sissi answered.

"Thanks for your information, Sissi. We appreciate it." Ulrich said, giving their friend a small smile. He tossed her a bag of trail mix as she went out the door.

As soon as Sissi's footsteps had faded down the hallway, the Lyoko Warriors turned to each other. Aelita appeared to be the most concerned, backed up by Ulrich and Yumi. Jeremy turned back to his physics homework while still listening in.

"You think it's the work of Xana? I mean, what are the chances of this guy sharing two of his letters?" Ulrich thought aloud.

"I think we made a grave mistake by helping him out, that's for sure. Now Xana's gonna be directly involved with us." Yumi added, a tone of fright in her voice.

"Now, now, you three," Jeremy said, turning around. "We don't know that Xana can create an independently functioning polymorphic specter. We _do _know that he's created them in the past, but not one that just…you know what I mean."

"But what if it _is_ Xana, what then?" Aelita asked.

"Xana's not activated a tower, so we can't assume it's him. Not yet." Jeremy replied. "This Asplane guy is probably just a refugee of some sort. Nothing to worry our heads over."

The blond turned back to his homework, a signal to the other Warriors that the conversation was over. Aelita sighed and laid back down on the bed. Ulrich announced that he was going to walk Yumi home and the two left holding hands. Even Aelita left after helping Jeremy with his homework for a bit.

That night, though, the pink-haired girl did not get a lot of sleep. The same dream that she'd had a few days earlier came back to haunt her. Waking back up in the middle of the night, she huddled under the covers, too afraid to go back to sleep.


	4. Chapter 3

XANA Returns

Chapter Three

Aelita glanced at her alarm clock for the fifth time that night. Four A.M. She rubbed the lack of sleep from her eyes and sat up. Changing into her maroon dress and favorite magenta boots, she headed out for a walk around campus.

Once she was safely outside the dorms, Aelita simply sauntered around. She wasn't looking for any particular place to go, after all. She just needed to clear her mind enough to go back to sleep. The pink-haired girl meandered into the forest beyond the school grounds, hoping that maybe a visit to the scanners would clear her head. However, when she approached the manhole that led to the factory, she stopped. A noise was coming from behind one of the trees.

When Aelita investigated, she figured out quickly that it was simply Odd and William kissing under the moonlight. She made a small yelp and then dashed to the other side of the wide trunk of the tree, her heart pounding. Shortly after, though, Odd and William appeared in front of her looking quite sheepish.

"W-what's up, Aelita?" William inquired, helping Aelita to her feet.

"Nothing, really. I couldn't sleep and went out for a walk," Aelita answered. "What were you two doing out her at four A.M.?"

"J-just, y' know…kissing…?" Odd responded quietly.

Aelita giggled, which made the blond and his boyfriend turn tomato red. She quickly calmed down to her mature composure, though, and pulled Odd aside.

"Odd, can I talk to you about…well…," Aelita trailed off. Now _her_ heart was pounding.

"Yes, Aelita, anything." Odd replied, giving her a small smile.

The blond blew a kiss to William, gesturing for him to go back to the dorms. William winked back and walked off with his hands in his pockets. Odd blushed and then he and Aelita strolled onward through the forest.

Most of the student body at Kadic knew that Odd Della Robbia was gay, considering he had come out during a school assembly. He had gained the courage to ask William out at prom the previous schoolyear, and the raven-haired boy happily said yes. William was bisexual and preferred guys, so the romance worked out well. The Lyoko Warriors knew before anyone else that Odd had a thing for William, however, because he was constantly flirting with him on missions. Aelita, after a while, was the one who prodded Odd to ask the other boy out.

Odd motioned for Aelita and himself to sit down on a park bench after a long walk. There were no street lamps in sight save for the light of the full moon. The two looked up at it in wonder, lost in their thoughts.

"So, what did you wanna talk about, Aelita?" Odd asked a short time later.

"Um…it's about Jeremy. I'm worried about him." Aelita answered.

"Worried how?"

"It's just…ever since news of that computer science professor came out amongst us Warriors, he's been rather spaced out. When I was helping him with his homework yesterday evening, he couldn't concentrate."

"Well, you know Jeremy. Anything computer related is bound to excite him. He's probably just wondering what classes he'll be able to take."

Aelita looked at Odd, "That may be true, and it may not be. The mystery that is scaring me the most is the dreams that I've been having. In all of them, Jeremy is close to the brink of you-know-what, and there's this shadow of a man that keeps getting closer and closer every time! What's more, I think that man might very well be the computer sciences guy and…and…!"

Odd scooted closer to Aelita as she broke down crying. He put his arm around her and drew her close.

"You really are worried, aren't you?" Odd whispered, stroking her hair. He felt Aelita return his embrace and the two stayed like that for what seemed like eternity. The two had a strong friendship that had lasted ever since they had met on Lyoko. Aelita had been the first person that Odd had come out to and, ever since then, their bond became unbreakable.

When Aelita calmed down, she sat up and Odd gave her a handkerchief. She wiped her eyes with it and then sat against the bench. After a while, she spoke up.

"Maybe I'm just being paranoid. I have no idea if the man in my dreams is trying to help me or hinder me. Though the thought of Jeremy being hospitalized for whatever reason still frightens me…," Aelita's lower lip trembled briefly.

"I don't think you're paranoid at all. Anyone would be scared half to death if their loved one was in danger. I still get shivers down my spine of William riding a motorcycle!" Odd said.

Aelita giggled slightly and turned to her friend.

"Thanks, Odd, that really helped me out a lot." Aelita gave Odd a small smile.

"Anytime, good buddy," Odd returned the smile and looked at his watch. "Crap, it's five-thirty already? Jim's gonna kill me…"

"Oh no! You don't wanna miss track practice!" Aelita added.

The two dashed through the park and back to the school dorms. Light was barely visible above the horizon, which meant the students at Kadic were already stirring and getting ready for another studious day. For Aelita, that meant investigating the rumors about the new professor. She still had her suspicions, and she knew just who to talk to about them.

That morning at breakfast, all were quietly eating. The long summer break had ended, and classes were starting back up for everyone. As usual, Odd had extra portions via everyone else's food, and Jeremy was chatting about his newest computer program.

"I'm super excited about the new computer sciences program, too," Jeremy added. "I can't wait to meet the new professor."

"Slow down there, hot shot," Yumi commented. "Don't get too over your head with those classes. You never know if Xana could sabotage it"

"She's right, Jeremy," Aelita said. "Xana could very well get back to his old antics."

"Aw, come on, guys," Jeremy sighed. "With the program I developed way-back-when, I can easily detect an activated tower. Then we can do our heroics and everything will be back to normal."

"Easy for you to say," Ulrich spoke up. "You're not the one fighting monsters on Lyoko. Anyway, I'm going to P.E. now. Coming Odd?"

"Yep!" Odd responded cheerfully. "I got a date with William in the… I mean, nothing!"

Odd and Ulrich walked off in the direction of the locker rooms and Yumi vaguely stated that she was off to her chemistry class. Shortly thereafter, Jeremy and Aelita were off to the newest programming class on campus.

"Are you excited for Programming 101, Aelita? It'll be a breeze for us!" Jeremy inquired to his girlfriend.

"You bet! Plus, it'll give me some new ideas for my techno music compositions." Aelita replied, grinning.

The lovebirds stepped into the science building and raced up to the third floor, which held all the computer classes. They happily scampered into the classroom and took their seats in the front row of desks. The rows of desks were surrounded by the latest computers and gadgets, and Jeremy quickly identified each one of them.

"Hey, you two!" a familiar voice greeted.

Jeremy looked up to see William take a seat in the chair across from him.

"William? But I thought you were in AP Chem with Yumi!" Jeremy said, a bit startled.

"Nah, I wanted to see what these classes were all about. You know, there are more job openings in new fields involving computers than most schools can supply. I kinda feel that these classes are more important now." William responded.

"That's great, William! If you need any help, just ask us." Aelita exclaimed.

"All right, all right, take your seats everyone." a stately voice came from the door. "It's time for your first programming experiences."

Jeremy, Aelita, and William all faced the front of the room. A man in a purple button-up shirt, black pants and tie, and white lab coat sauntered in and placed a briefcase on the teachers' desk. He had brown hair with a flash of gray in a neat ponytail and inquisitive hazel eyes. Out of her peripheral vision, Aelita saw William's eyes flash with fear and recognition.

"The name's Professor Xavier Asplane and, as you know, this is Programming 101. I will pass out your syllabus after I take attendance, and then we can get started," the professor pulled out a clipboard and pen. "All right then… Jeremy Belpois."

"Uh…here!" Jeremy quickly responded, raising his hand.

Professor Asplane glanced up at Jeremy. An expression of familiarity and rage crossed his face. The clipboard and pen seemed to fall from his hands, and Asplane clutched his head as though in pain. He gazed at Jeremy, and then the blond thought he saw the professor's eyes flicker.

Suddenly, Jeremy's computer started beeping. Jeremy briskly pulled the computer out of his backpack.

There was an activated tower on Lyoko.

"Aelita, make up an excuse-," Jeremy began. However, the laptop was pulled from his grasp by none other than Professor Asplane.

"Confiscated. The only computers you will use in this class are the ones provided for you." Asplane sneered.

"B-but…!"

"You can get it back when the day is done." Asplane shut the lid of the laptop, but the beeping continued. "Is there any way to stop this horrid sound?"

"S-shut the computer off…" Jeremy replied, defeated.

"All right, then."

The professor then straightened his tie, picked up his clipboard and pen, and resumed taking attendance. However, Jeremy now had more questions than answers. Why had Asplane taken his laptop in a computer sciences class of all things? What's more, why did he see Asplane's eyes flicker like that? It was likely nothing more than a trick of light, but the Lyoko Warriors could never be so sure.

Jeremy glanced over at Aelita and William, and the three of them simultaneously nodded. After class, they were on another trip to Lyoko.


	5. Chapter 5

XANA Returns

Chapter Four

The first day of Programming 101 consisted of mainly Professor Asplane blabbering on about the syllabus and expectations for how to use the classroom computers. That didn't make any difference to Jeremy and Aelita, though. The blonde's personal laptop was still confiscated for the rest of the school day. In addition, they needed to make a trip to Lyoko and fast.

Following the dismissal of class, Jeremy and Aelita rushed to tell the others about Xana's most recent appearance. Luckily today was only syllabus day, so nobody was in classrooms for long. The Lyoko Warriors rushed through the park to their most popular route to the lab: the sewers. William, Yumi, Odd, and Ulrich all got on their skateboards and Jeremy and Aelita boarded their scooters. With that, they were off.

Once through the maze called the sewer system, the six teens climbed up the ladder that led to the factory. They rushed to the ropes that led down to the elevator, which they swung down with expertise. The Warriors clambered into the elevator and they were down to the lab in no time at all.

"All right," Jeremy stated as he climbed into his chair. "Yumi, Odd, and Aelita, you're off to Lyoko for this one. Ulrich and William, you investigate to find out just what Xana is up to."

"Right," Ulrich and William replied simultaneously.

Odd, Yumi, and Aelita stayed put as Ulrich and William left up the ladder behind them. Jeremy scanned Lyoko for the activated tower. Shortly after the scan was initiated, the scan picked something up.

"The tower is in the arctic region," the blond said. "Are you three ready to take the dive?"

The other three teenagers nodded, and with that they were off to the scanner room. As the elevator took them down, Odd spoke up.

"I dunno, guys," Odd said worriedly. "We don't even know what Xana is up to."

"I'm sure that Ulrich and William will turn something up," Aelita responded. "Their personalities clash, but despite that they work well together."

"Yeah, you're right," Odd and Yumi said together.

The trio walked into the scanner room and proceeded to their stations. After that, the process went as normal. Transfer, scanner, virtualization. Then, they were in the arctic region, or ice sector as some referred to it.

"All right, Einstein, where's this tower?" Odd asked once he landed on solid virtual ground.

"The tower is 15 minutes due north," Jeremy's disembodied voice answered. "And be careful! I haven't heard anything back from Ulrich and William yet."

"And that's when he took Jeremy's computer. Professor Asplane was so…infuriated!" William recounted to Ulrich. "It was like he thought the laptop was the devil."

"Well, they treat our mobiles the same way. How'd you say it was strange, besides the infuriated part?" Ulrich responded.

"I thought I saw his eyes flash," William held back a sigh. "I seriously think we ought to check out the guy's office. We might rescue Jeremy's laptop _and_ find out if Xana has possessed Asplane. Kill two birds with one stone, ya know?"

Despite the fact that Ulrich still considered William to be his rival academically, the two boys worked well together on missions. Admittedly, the Lyoko Warriors dismissed the raven-haired teen after they saved him from Xana's clutches. It took a few months for Odd to come to his friends and say that he had a crush on William and, even after that, they still didn't consider William trustworthy. It took an entire mission and Yumi and Ulrich going on a double date with Odd and their former enemy to consider William a Lyoko Warrior again.

Ulrich thought about William's idea for a moment, and then agreed to it. The two boys rushed to the academy but slowed down after they reached the science building. They stood at the entrance for a minute or two and then nodded to each other that it was okay to enter. Going up to the third floor, they quickly noticed that Professor Asplane's door was open. A mysterious clicking noise was coming from his office also. William motioned for Ulrich to remain as quiet as possible as they proceeded forward. They stopped outside of the professor's office, one on each side of the doorframe.

"Grr…that Jeremy is always one step ahead of me," Professor Asplane mumbled audibly. "This laptop of his will be my downfall. Ha… But this time I'll get him good! This virus will be _his_ demise…!"

William and Ulrich gazed at each other in alarm. The raven-haired teen nodded at his friend, and Ulrich grabbed his mobile to call and alert Jeremy. However, before any of this could happen, Mrs. Hertz waltzed in tailed by Jim.

"Dunbar, Stern, what are you two doing outside Asplane's office?" Jim interrogated, sauntering up to the boys.

"Um…," Ulrich croaked.

They were in for it this time.

"They were simply waiting for me to finish fixing their friend's computer." Professor Asplane came out of his office.

_Dang, his voice sounds like…a scratchy CD._ William thought silently.

"Were they, though?" Mrs. Hertz raised an eyebrow.

William and Ulrich nodded.

"All right, then. We were just checking," Jim said. "You'd better keep an eye on these two, and your own health, Asplane. You sound like an out-of-date CD player."

"Will do." Asplane responded.

Ulrich helplessly watched as Mrs. Hertz and Jim left. As their footsteps faded down the hall, the brown-haired teen dared to glance up at Asplane.

Just as William had said, the man's eyes _were_ flashing.

_Oh no…not this._

Before the two boys could do anything, they were in the clutches of an electrical current released by the Professor's hands. The current carried them into the office where they were carelessly set aside. Professor Asplane closed the door and set back to work on the virus he had been implanting in Jeremy's computer.

"We _need_ to get out of here," Ulrich whispered to William.

"No duh, Sherlock," William replied. "But how? Any bold move and we're toast. Literally!"

Ulrich glanced around for any semblance of a weapon they could use. There were filing cabinets, a small desk with various gadgets on it, and a mini-fridge.

"I've got an idea." Ulrich murmured.

Not two minutes later, William was up beside the Professor, whom appeared to be lost in thought while typing.

"Uh…Professor? Can I go to the bathroom?" William inquired meekly.

"No." Asplane answered without as much as a glance.

William continued to stand there but glanced back at Ulrich and nodded. Ulrich grabbed the plug to the mini-fridge, which he had unplugged and cut with a pocket knife, and approached Asplane from behind. Once he was an inch behind the professor, Ulrich placed the coil around Asplane's neck and pulled.

However, the teen was only electrified in return. Ulrich was thrown back by a jolt of electricity, and the severed plug from the mini-fridge tossed aside like a stuffed toy. William took a couple of steps back, not wanting to suffer his friend's fate.

"I told you _NO!_" Asplane shouted, his eyes fully changed. He outstretched his hand, and a current of static electricity was formed. It lifted Ulrich off the ground, causing the young man to cry out.

William, caught in between a rock and a hard place, looked around frantically for anything he could use as a weapon. He spied a filing cabinet right next to him and started tugging on one of the drawers. He soon learned that they were locked shut and required a key. All the while Ulrich screamed and cried out with only two people to hear him.

"NO!" Asplane's voice came from behind. William turned around and saw the professor clutching his head with one hand, Ulrich still in the clutches of electricity. Asplane's arm was starting to shake, and his eyes were flashing again.

Not wanting to miss the opportunity, William shoved the Professor into the nearest wall and thereby released Ulrich from electrifying pain. The raven-haired boy grabbed Jeremy's laptop and dashed over to his friend, whom was passed out on the ground.

"C'mon, buddy, get up!" William pleaded.

"Losing control…losing…_control!_" Asplane cried out. "I'm _losing…control!_"

The Professor's voice continued to grow even higher and pitch as he repeated those two words over and over. It was like someone was editing his video on an outdated version of video software. The outer portion of his figure was glitching as well, making the scene almost seem like a horror video game.

"Ugh…my head…" Ulrich murmured.

"It's about time, my friend," William responded urgently. He grabbed Ulrich's wrist and pulled him up. Then, out of sheer desperation, William pulled Ulrich along and grabbed Jeremy's laptop with the other hand. Not wanting to look back at the horrific scene behind him, William tore out of the office and down the hall.

He only stopped running when he and Ulrich were safely out of sight from the science building.

"What?!" Jeremy exclaimed in surprise.

The tower on Lyoko had just been deactivated right before Aelita entered it. The Crab, which Yumi had been fighting solo (Odd had been devirtualized), stopped and knelt down. However, Aelita knew instinctively that it was not for her nor Yumi.

"What the heck just happened?" Odd inquired to Jeremy. "We were so close, too!"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Odd," Jeremy answered. "However, this means that we have no more monsters to fight for the time being."

On Lyoko, Aelita saw the Crab walk away and disappear behind a glacier. She shrugged at Yumi and, shortly thereafter, both were devirtualized.

The two girls instantly raced up to the lab where Odd and Jeremy awaited them.

"Have either of you heard from William or Ulrich?" Aelita asked.

"Right here." Ulrich responded.

The other four Warriors watched as Ulrich and William clambered down the ladder and saunter over. Their demeanor was calm, but both boys' faces told another story.

"What's up?" Yumi inquired. "You two look like you've seen a ghost!"

"We may very well have," William answered, clutching Odd's hand. "Boy, do Ulrich and I have a story to tell you guys."

All sat down as William related the horrifying story of what happened with the Professor. Aelita and the others listened with utmost concentration, not wanting to miss any details. Once William was done, the other Warriors sat back and pondered what had just been told to them.

After what seemed like eternity, Aelita spoke up.

"I think Xana was behind this. He must have created an independently functioning polymorphic specter."

"And I don't think so." Jeremy retorted.

The other four Warriors froze. A disagreement? Between their two leaders?

"And why not? He was obviously after your laptop, and his eyes changed. He practically lost control of himself." Aelita said.

"I just don't think Xana is that powerful. Artificial intelligences are not capable of possessing humans…" Jeremy responded.

"So you think that Asplane is human?"

"Yes. As I was saying…AI are not capable of possessing humans like ghosts are, and I don't believe in those either, but that's a different story."

"Well, I believe that Asplane is _not_ human, that he _is_ an independently functioning polymorphic specter, and if we don't do something about this soon we'll be on a wild goose chase until we graduate!"

The other Warriors gazed at Jeremy, waiting for a reply to Aelita's most recent statement. They had always had their disagreements about trivial things, but nothing had escalated to this.

"All right," Jeremy finally said. "We'll agree to disagree until we can shed further light on the matter. Speaking of matters, where is my laptop?"

"Right here, Einstein," William answered, handing it to the blond. "I'm afraid that X—I mean, Asplane, bugged it up pretty good."

"Oh no…I'll be at this for the next ever!" Jeremy mused aloud. "Sorry, guys, but I'm going to have to skip dinner tonight. This is going to take me until sunrise."

"So that means I can get your share of food?" Odd asked with a grin.

Jeremy nodded and laughed softly.

The Warriors stepped out of the factory and into the waning daylight. They chatted about things unrelated to their most recent mission, glad to be rid of Xana for the time being. However, the Lyoko Warriors also knew that Xana was not rid of them, and that was about to be more true than ever before.


End file.
